Method of diagnosis/prognosis of human chronic lymphocytic leukemia comprising the profiling of lpl/adam genes

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides methods of diagnosis and prognosis of human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in a subject a patient in need thereof. The methods of the present invention involve measuring the expression profile of two known genes: LPL and ADAM29; and comparing the ratio of their expression to diagnose the presence of CLL or to prognose the likelihood of developing CLL or the symptoms consistent with CLL.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention provides methods of diagnosis and prognosis of human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in a subject a patient in need thereof. The methods of the present invention involve measuring the expression profile of two known genes: LPL and ADAM29; and determining the ratio of their expression to diagnose the presence of CLL or to prognose the likelihood of developing CLL, an aggressive or a stable form of the disease or the symptoms consistent with CLL.

2. Discussion of the Background

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) displays a variable outcome. The classical Rai¹ or Binet² staging systems have allocated CLL cases into three major risk groups (low [stage 0 in Rai's and stage A in Binet's classification system], intermediate [stages I and II in Rai's and stage B in Binet's classification system], and high [stage III and IV in Rai's and stage C in Binet's classification system]), according to tumor burden and the presence of anemia and thrombocytopenia. These staging systems have provided a basis for therapeutic stratification. Asymptomatic patients with a low tumor burden (Binet stage A) do not benefit from treatment with chlorambucil. However, the disease in half of these patients will progress and both staging systems fail to initially identify such patients. The advent of new treatments such as purine analogues and monoclonal antibodies directed against CD20 and CD52 are able to induce complete remissions and may allow early treatment for asymptomatic patients whose disease is likely to progress.³ Accurate identification of these patients is therefore increasingly important.

Serologic markers such as lactic dehydrogenase, beta2-microglobulin⁴, soluble CD23⁵ and thymidine kinase^(4,6) are essentially indicators of disease activity and/or load, although some can anticipate disease progression⁷. Phenotypic expression of CD38 has been associated with aggressive diseases⁸, but the threshold level for positive cases, if it exists at all, remains a matter of debate.⁹⁻¹¹ Genomic aberrations correlate well with either good (isolated 13q⁻) or poor (17p⁻; 11p⁻) prognosis in CLL^(10,12,13), though their occurrence as a second malignant hit cannot be definitely excluded.

The mutational status of immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (IgVH) genes has been considered as the best prognostic marker in CLL. In an initial study, the present inventors observed that at least half of CLL cases carried mutations using a cut-off of 98% germline homology.¹⁴ This was further confirmed by others,¹⁵ some of which also correlated the IgVH mutational status to clinical behavior.^(8,16,17) Mutated (MT) patients usually demonstrate a favorable evolution when compared to unmutated (UM) cases (≧98% germline homology), which are characterized by progressive disease, continuing treatment needs and a high proportion of CLL-related deaths. This analysis remains costly, time-consuming and inaccessible for most medical facilities. Consequently, the detection of appropriate, reliable surrogate markers for IgVH mutational status has retained worldwide attention.

CD38 was the first candidate proposed to replace IgVH sequencing,⁸ with positive and negative cases corresponding respectively to UM and MT patients, but finally demonstrated insufficient specificity (about 30% discordance for each group).¹¹ In addition, its expression can vary during the course of disease.¹¹ Surprisingly, recent reports indicated that ZAP-70 mRNA, normally expressed in T and NK lymphocytes, is also transcribed in CLL B-cells lacking IgVH mutations.^(18,19) Two further series have confirmed these findings at the protein level,^(20,21) suggesting a pivotal role for ZAP-70 in prediction of IgVH mutational status. There is however some controversy to whether ZAP-70 is really a good surrogate marker since two recent reports failed to demonstrate a significant concordance between its expression and the degree of somatic mutation in the IgVH genes.^(22,23)

Accordingly, there remains a critical need for a safe, inexpensive and accurate means to diagnose CLL and prognostic methods involving the same.

To address this need, in a study of gene expression profiling performed on 18 CLL cases, the present inventors identified a limited set of genes (n=85), which were expressed differentially between progressive UM and stable MT CLLs (Vasconcelos, et al., manuscript submitted July 2004). These results were validated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) for 18 genes on the same cDNAs that were hybridized on the DNA chips. From these RQ-PCR experiments, 4 genes in addition to ZAP-70 appeared to provide a better segregation of the 2 groups of CLLs. They included the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and spartin (SPG20) genes, whose expression was higher in UM patients, while a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 29 (ADAM29) and nuclear receptor-interacting protein 1 (NRIP1) genes were found at much higher levels in MT cases. These findings led the present inventors to investigate, in an independent and larger CLL series, which of these 4 genes (isolated or in combination) could represent the best surrogate marker for IgVH mutational status, and how they would compare to ZAP-70 protein expression.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of identifying a subject suspected of having a lymphocytic leukemia by determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in a sample obtained from a subject; and comparing the expression levels to a standard expression level of the corresponding genes in a normal subject. In this method, the gene expression level is determined by measuring mRNA, cDNA or protein expression level.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of identifying a subject with a significant probability of having lymphocytic leukemia in a subject in need thereof by determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in B cells and designating the subject as having a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia expression of at least one of LPL and ADAM29 is detected in said B cells. In this object and those that follow, B-cells may be obtained from any source that contains the same, including: peripheral mononuclear blood cells, tissues naturally bearing B-cells such as backbone, ganglions, spleen, mucosa, and skin, or tissues in which B-cells do not naturally reside, such as a tissue has been infiltrated by malignant (tumor) cells.

Further, the above object may be performed using a sample containing previously extracted mRNA (e.g., a mRNA bank), thereby obviating the need to obtain a cellular sample and, thus, an object of the present invention includes a method of identifying a subject with a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia in a subject in need thereof by determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in a sample containing mRNA and designating the subject as having a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia expression of at least one of LPL and ADAM29 is detected in said sample.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a predictive method for determining the mutational status of the IgVH genes classifying said IgVH mutational status of a subject by evaluating the LPL/ADAM29 gene expression ratio in a sample containing mRNA; and classifying the IgVH gene on the basis of this ratio. In this object of the present invention, the sample containing mRNA may be either cellular (e.g., a peripheral blood) or previously extracted (e.g., a mRNA bank).

It is another object of the present invention to validate the classification of the disease based on IgVH mutational status determined by the LPL/ADAM29 gene expression ratio by either: (a) direct sequencing of the IgVH genes, or (b) by determining the percentage of CD19+CD3-CD56-lymphoid cells present in a peripheral blood sample that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of classifying IgVH mutational status of a subject having chronic lymphocytic leukemia by performing a competitive multiplex PCR assay to determine the preferential expression of LPL and ADAM29.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a prognostic method to determine event free survival of a subject having chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The present invention provides a method of allowing accurate estimation of the prognosis in a patient having chronic lymphocytic leukemia, by designating the subject as having a significant probability of having an aggressive form of the disease if there is overexpression of the LPL gene or an indolent form of the disease if there is overexpression of ADAM29 gene.

The above objects highlight certain aspects of the invention. Additional objects, aspects and embodiments of the invention are found in the following detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following Figures in conjunction with the detailed description below.

FIG. 1. Flow cytometry analysis of ZAP-70 expression.

(A) The lymphocyte population was first gated (region R1) on forward and side scatter histogram (left). The CLL cells (CD-19+) were then selected (gate R2), as well as the T cell (CD3+) and NK (CD-56+) populations (gate R3), as shown on right side histogram. (B) and (D) Biparametric plots of ZAP-70 or isotype-match control antibody (CD14) expression on different cell populations. The level of expression of ZAP-70 on T and NK cells (middle plots) served to determine a threshold, which was then used to quantify its expression on B cells (right plots). Left plots show the absence of fixation of the isotype-match control antibody on lymphocytes. (C) and (E) Monoparametric histograms of ZAP-70 or isotype-match control antibody (CD14) expression on different cell populations. The light and dark gray histograms correspond to B and NK cell staining respectively. The black overlaid histogram shows the absence of fixation of the isotype-match control antibody on lymphocytes. Expression of ZAP-70 on CD3+ CD56+ cells (M1) served to determine the percentage of CLL cells that were positive for ZAP-70. The percentage of B cells expressing ZAP-70 is indicated. (B) and (C) panels illustrate a ZAP-70 negative CLL case, while panels (D) and (E) show a ZAP-70 positive case. Abbreviations: B, B cell; T, T cell; NK, natural killer; IC, isotype-matched control.

FIG. 2. Correlations between LPL/ADAM29 ratio or ZAP-70 expression and the IgVH gene mutational status.

The threshold values calculated for the L/A ratio (=1) and ZAP-70 (=20%) showing the best concordance rate with the IgVH mutational status, as determined by using Youden's index, are indicated by a horizontal line.

FIG. 3. Kaplan-Meier survival curves in CLL according to IgVH mutational status, L/A ratio or ZAP-70 expression.

(A) Event-free survival probabilities for the total population. (B) Event free survival probabilities for stage A patients. (C) Overall survival probabilities for stage B and C patients.

FIG. 4. Multiplex PCR determination of LPL and ADAM29 expression.

LPL and ADAM29 transcripts were amplified simultaneously, the PCR products were then separated by electrophoresis on agarose gel and visualised under UV illumination after ethidium bromide staining. Amplification of the GAPDH gene from the same transcripts served as control of cDNA integrity. MWM indicates molecular weight marker, MT, mutated; UM, unmutated; B, purified B cells from a healthy individual; T, Jurkatt T-cell line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION. OF THE INVENTION

Unless specifically defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by a skilled artisan in enzymology, biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular biology, and the medical sciences.

All methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, with suitable methods and materials being described herein. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. Further, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting, unless otherwise specified.

The state of the oncological arts suggests that chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients expressing mutated (MT) IgVH genes display good prognosis when compared to patients expressing unmutated (UM) IgVH genes. However, heretofore, it has been difficult and costly to extend this study to routine practice. As such, there is a strong need for surrogate markers to distinguish IgVH status and, thus, prognostic indicators for CLL patients.

ZAP-70 has been shown to be overexpressed in patients displaying UM IgVH genes. The speculation that ZAP-70 gene expression could differentiate MT from UM CLLs has emerged from microarray experiments,^(18,19) and was further confirmed at the protein level by flow cytometry.^(20,21) In the examples of the present invention, the present inventors evaluated ZAP-70 expression in CLL cases. The threshold value which best correlated with the IgVH mutational status was found to be 20%, similar to that described by Crespo et al.,²⁰ but higher than that used by Orchard et al. (10%).²¹ Discordant results were obtained in 16% of patients, a rate slightly higher than that observed with the L/A ratio (10%; see below), and occurred more frequently among MT CLLs (10%) than UM CLLs (5%). This level of discordance was also higher than that reported by the 2 aforementioned studies (respectively 5.4% and 7.8%). Both reports identified ZAP-70 negative cases with UM IgVH genes, some of which had an apparently stable disease, similarly to the present inventors' findings. Conversely, Orchard et al. described ZAP-70 positive cases with MT IgVH genes, although all had a 96%-97% homology.²¹ In contrast 4 of the patients described below in this group expressed IgVH genes with less than 95% homology, with 3 of them having a stable disease. Therefore a clear dissociation between ZAP-70 expression and IgVH mutational status exists within a subset of patients, thus indicating that ZAP-70 alone is an insufficient surrogate marker for CLL prognosis.

The recent development of microarray technology has allowed the discovery of genes, which may have prognostic significance in human tumors. A previous gene expression profiling study in CLL led the present inventors to identify 4 genes that appeared to best segregate stable MT from progressive UM forms (Vasconcelos, et al., manuscript submitted July 2004). LPL and SPG20 were expressed preferentially UM CLL, while ADAM29 and NRIP1 had a predominant expression in MT CLL.

As described herein, the present inventors have monitored the expression levels of these genes on a large series of CLL patients and evaluated the correlation with the IgVH mutational status and clinical outcome. Both LPL and ADAM29 were found to correlate better with the IgVH mutational status than SPG20 and NRIP1. Even better results were obtained when combining LPL and ADAM29 by a simple ratio of their normalized expression values, reaching 90% concordance. The L/A ratio thus constitutes a suitable surrogate marker of the IgVH mutational status in CLL.

LPL is a heparin-releasable enzyme bound to glycosaminoglycan components of the capillary endothelium, and is particularly abundant in muscle, adipose tissue and macrophages. As used in the context of the present invention LPL is preferably the human sequence (gene=SEQ ID NO: 11; protein=SEQ ID NO: 12). LPL is also known to exist in the following organisms: Rattus norvegicus (UniGene Rn.3834; gene sequence=SEQ ID NO: 13; protein sequence=SEQ ID NO: 14), Mus musculus (UniGene Mm.1514; gene sequence=SEQ ID NO: 15; protein sequence=SEQ ID NO: 16), Gallus gallus (UniGene Gga.1152; gene sequence=SEQ ID NO: 17; protein sequence=SEQ ID NO: 18), Canis familiaris (UniGene Cfa.3489; gene sequence=SEQ ID NO: 19; protein sequence=SEQ ID NO: 20), Bos Taurus (UniGene Bt.5387; gene sequence=SEQ ID NO: 21; protein sequence=SEQ ID NO: 22), and Caenorhabditis elegans (UniGene Cel.18189; gene sequence=SEQ ID NO: 23; protein sequence=SEQ ID NO: 24). With apolipoprotein CII, LPL mediates the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol component of circulating chylomicrons and very low-density lipoproteins. It plays a central role in lipid metabolism and transport.^(29,30) Mutations in the LPL gene are frequently associated with dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis.^(29,31) In line with the present inventors findings on normal cells, other investigators have failed to detect LPL expression in normal purified B and T lymphocytes.³² However, they found that it was expressed and secreted by NK cells, where it was shown to modulate their cytotoxic activity. Reasons for its high expression in UM CLL B-cells are unknown.

The ADAM29 gene encodes a member of the disintegrin and metalloprotease family of transmembrane proteins, which have been shown to mediate cell-cell and/or cell-matrix interactions as well as the proteolytic shedding of cell surface molecules.^(33,34) In contrast to other ADAMs that are expressed in various tissues, ADAM29 transcripts are highly restricted to the testis.³⁵ The origin of ADAM29 over-expression in MT CLL B cells remains speculative. As used in the context of the present invention ADAM29 is preferably the human sequence (gene=SEQ ID NO: 25; protein=SEQ ID NO: 26). ADAM29 is also known to exist in the following organisms: Mus musculus (UniGene Mm.67684; gene sequence=SEQ ID NO: 27; protein sequence=SEQ ID NO: 28).

The present invention also embraces the following LPL and ADAM29 gene sequences.

-   -   LPL: Hs. 180878 (UniGene)         -   NM 000237 (RefSeq)     -   ADAM29: Hs.126838 (UniGene) and         -   NM 014269 (RefSeq)=variant 1         -   NM 021780 (RefSeq)=variant 2         -   NM 021779 (RefSeq)=variant 3

Primers that may be used to amplify these sequences include:

LPL (CS)s CAGATGCCCTACAAAGTCTTCC (SEQ ID NO: 29) LPL (CS)as GCCAGGGTGCCATACAGAGAAA (SEQ ID NO: 30) ADAM29 (CS)s GGCAACCCACCAATAACTAAAT (SEQ ID NO: 31) ADAM29 (CS)as TCCCACAGCGCTTCACATTAAA (SEQ ID NO: 32)

-   -   All three ADAM29 variants can be amplified by the aforementioned         primers.

The fact that for these 2 genes: i) similar results were obtained on total CLL lymphocyte populations and from purified leukemic cells, and ii) their absence of detection or very low level in normal B cells, indicates that their expression could to be tumor specific. Alternatively it might reflect a restricted expression in a minor B lymphoid subpopulation which is expanded in CLL. Therefore, contemplated by the present invention are methods in which a threshold B-cell expression level of the aforementioned genes can be determined for CLL positive diagnosis.

Accordingly, in an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method of identifying a subject with a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia in a subject in need thereof by:

obtaining a specimen from said subject, wherein said specimen comprises at least one of peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC), tissue containing B-cells, and extracted B cells;

determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in said specimen;

designating said subject as having a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia if said determining evidence expression of at least one of LPL and ADAM29 in said specimen.

In the embodiments of the present invention described herein, B-cells may be obtained from any source that contains the same, including: peripheral mononuclear blood cells, tissues naturally bearing B-cells such as backbone, ganglions, spleen, mucosa, and skin, or tissues in which B-cells do not naturally reside, such as a tissue has been infiltrated by malignant (tumor) cells.

Further, the above embodiment may be performed using a sample containing previously extracted mRNA (e.g., a mRNA bank), thereby obviating the need to obtain a cellular sample and, thus, an embodiment of the present invention includes a method of identifying a subject with a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia in a subject in need thereof, by

obtaining a sample containing mRNA, wherein said sample contains at least one selected from the group consisting of extracted mRNA, peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC), tissue containing B-cells, and extracted B cells;

determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in said sample;

designating said subject as having a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia if said determining evidence expression of at least one of LPL and ADAM29 in said sample.

An advantage offered by the aforementioned embodiments is that the present invention may be utilized to detect leukemias in patients in which all the other common leukemia markers are “silent.” In these particular cases, the ratio L/A will become the only available diagnostic method. As such, the present invention embraces a general diagnostic method comprising identifying a subject having a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia comprising determining the L/A ratio in a sample obtained from said subject by the methods described herein.

As used herein, the term “significant probability” in the phrase “having a significant probability of having chronic lymphocytic leukemia” is defined as being a greater 80%, preferably greater than 85%, more preferably greater than 90%, most preferably greater than 95% chance that said subject has CLL. As shown in the examples of the present specification, the LPL and ADAM29 gene expression levels of 134 subjects were evaluated: 127 pre-diagnosed as having CLL and 7 healthy subjects. Of these only one healthy patient exhibited any expression of LPL or ADAM29 in either PBMC or B cells (low levels of LPL in B cells), corresponding to no less than 85.7% accuracy in CLL diagnosis, and all pre-diagnosed CLL patients expressed LPL or ADAM29 in either PBMC or B cells, corresponding to an accuracy in the overall population of greater than 99%.

As used herein the phrase “aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia” means that subjects present, in addition to an abnormal hemogram, clinical symptoms such as an important tumor mass and/or cytopenia such as anemia or thrombopenia.

As used herein the phrase “indolent form of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia” means that subjects present an anormal hemogram; however, do not present any clinical symptom normally associated with the disease. At this stage, the disease is only detectable by labs means.

As used herein, the phrase “subject in need thereof” is defined as a subject that is suspected of having CLL or has been independently (e.g., by conventional CLL diagnostic methods) diagnosed as suffering from CLL. Of course, it is contemplated that the present invention may be extended to routine preventative medical practices. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention may be used with “healthy” subjects as a part of a routine physical examination.

Further, as used in the context of the present invention, the term “subject” is defined as including any animal that expresses LPL and ADAM29. In a preferred embodiment the “subject” is a human. Further, it should be noted that the term “patient” is used herein interchangeably with the term “subject.” In view of the fact that CLL has been found to occur in bovine, the present invention may find application in animals that possess both an LPL gene and an ADAM29 gene.

As used herein, the terms “specimen” or are defined as being any extracted biological material in which cellular material of blood is likely to be found. As used herein the term “sample” is defined as being any biological material naturally occurring or extracted in which cellular or genetic (i.e., mRNA) is contained. In an embodiment of the present invention, these terms refer to peripheral blood samples, tissue containing B cell, or extracted B cells. Within the context of the present invention, the specimen or sample may be used in a crude form, a preserved form (i.e., includes additional additives commonly added to preserve the integrity of the cellular material under environmental stress, such as freezing), a partially purified form, a purified form (e.g., isolated cellular material), or any other common preparatory form.

In the methods of the present invention, it is to be understood that any common (i.e., standard) method of acquiring biological specimens may be employed. These methods are readily appreciated by the skilled clinician and need not be described in great detail.

Within the context of the present invention, the gene (and/or protein) expression levels of the genes (and/or proteins) discussed herein is not particularly limited. Gene expression may be determined by any quantitative, semi-quantitative or qualitative method including PCR methods. Specific PCR methods that are suitable for use in the present invention include real-time PCR (RQ-PCR) multiplex-PCR and fluorescent MX-PCR. It is also understood that microarray techniques may be employed to provide quantitative values for gene expression. Protein expression is preferentially determined by flow cytometry.

Appropriate quantification methods requiring labelling of mRNA or DNA has been described in WO93/10257, U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,246, U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,262, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,928 (Kourilsky et al.), which are incorporated herein by reference. Protein quantification may be also accomplished by using directly or indirectly labelled polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies specifically directed against each of one expressed protein LPL or ADAM29.

Labelled proteins could be detected directly on cells either by cytometric techniques (cell-shorter techniques, cellular suspensions, etc.) or by histochemical techniques (fixed cells, solid or semi-solid tissues). Cells could be previously permeabilized to allow the introduction into the B-cell cytoplasma of the appropriate antibody. Also labelled proteins may be extracted outside the cells and analyzed by Western blot techniques, after migration of the cell extracts on Polyacrylamide gels (PAGE-SDS).

Further, the present invention also contemplates methods in which relative expression levels are determined for LPL and ADAM29. For example, to determine the LPL/ADAM29 ratio, it is possible to employ a simple electrophoretic technique in which PCR products are separated by electrophoreses and the relative intensities of the bands corresponding to LPL (approximately 410 bp for humans) and ADAM29 (approximately 445 bp for humans) is determined. Such a technique is readily amendable to RQ-PCR and multiplex PCR platforms.

However, as used in the present invention, the gene expression level of LPL and ADAM29 is preferably a normalized gene expression, which is preferably obtained by RQ-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) using the Light Cycler System (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany) and the SYBR Green I dye. As evidenced below under the beading “Quantitative RT-PCR” gene expression analyses was conducted for LPL, SPG20, ADAM29 and NRIP1; however, the technique described herein may be extended to gene expression of any gene of interest.

In a preferred embodiment, primers are designed to be specific for the gene of interest and RQ-PCR is performed with a predetermined quantity (e.g., 100-150 ng) of reverse transcribed total RNA (cDNA) for a time and under conditions suitable for amplifying the gene of interest from the reverse transcribed total RNA (cDNA). For example, the conditions may entail: 10 minutes at 95° C. for initial denaturation, then 40 cycles of 10 seconds at 95° C., 5 seconds at 62° C. and 17 seconds at 72° C. The specificity of the amplified products is then preferably verified by analysis of their respective melting curves.

By repeating the procedure in duplicate and by including the 5 points of the calibration curve and a no-template control in each PCR reaction, the results may be validated. Estimation of the quality of cDNA for each sample is preferably obtained by quantification of an endogenous reference. In one embodiment of the present invention, the endogenous reference is the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). GAPDH gene has been used in the present invention as a housekeeping gene, but normalization may also be performed by using any other housekeeping gene. Examples of genes that are suitable for use as normalization genes in quantitative PCR techniques include, but are not limited to:

-   -   18S rRNA (ARN ribosomal 18S)     -   ABL (Abelson)     -   PO (Acidic ribosomal protein)     -   ACTB (Beta-actin)     -   B2M (Beta-2-microglobulin)     -   GUS (Beta-Glucuronidase)     -   CYC (Cyclophilin)     -   GAPDH (Glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase)     -   HPRT (Hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase)     -   PGK (Phosphoglycerokinase)     -   PBGD (Porphobilinogen deaminase)     -   PBGD2 (Porphobilinogen deaminase 2)     -   TBP (transcription factor IID)     -   TFRC (Transferrin receptor)

To this end, the artisan is referred to Beillard et al., Leukemia, 2003, 17, 2474-2486 (which is incorporated herein by reference), for information relevant to the use of the foregoing as normalization genes in quantitative PCR techniques.

Once the foregoing is complete, the gene copy number is preferably calculated using a standard curve generated from serially diluted (10-fold dilutions from 10⁶ to 10² copies) plasmids containing the respective sequence verified insert (LPL, ADAM29, Housekeeping gene, etc.). Results are expressed as the ratio of mean of gene copy number/mean GAPDH copy number ×100 (used herein as “normalized gene expression”).

Accordingly, as used herein, when the term “gene expression level” preferably means that the expression level has been quantitatively determined and is normalized. To facilitate gene expression level determination, it is preferred that total cellular RNA is extracted from the sample from the subject under study and that the corresponding cDNA be synthesized to serve as a PCR template.

A microarray study by the present inventors showed overexpression of LPL and ADAM29 genes among UM and MT CLLs, respectively. The present inventors quantified expression of LPL and ADAM29 genes by RQ-PCR, and ZAP-70 protein by flow-cytometry in a cohort of 127 CLL patients, and evaluated the correlations with the IgVH mutational status and clinical outcome. Combining LPL and ADAM29 mRNA quantifications by a simple 1 to 1 ratio (L/A ratio) provided a 90% concordance rate with the IgVH mutational status. Simultaneous usage of the L/A ratio and ZAP-70 expression allowed an almost perfect (99%) assessment of the IgVH status in the 80% of patients with concordant results (L/A⁺, ZAP-70⁺ or L/A⁻, ZAP-70⁻). IgVH mutational status, ZAP-70 and the L/A ratio were predictive of event-free survival for the whole cohort and for stage A patients. In addition the L/A ratio was an independent prognostic factor for stage B and C patients.

Accordingly, in another embodiment of the present is to provide a method of classifying IgVH mutational status of a subject having chronic lymphocytic leukemia by

obtaining a sample containing mRNA from said subject (preferably a peripheral blood sample, a tissue sample, or extracted B cells from said subject or pre-extracted mRNA from said subject);

determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in said sample;

evaluating the LPL/ADAM29 gene expression ratio; and

classifying the IgVH gene as:

-   -   mutated if the LPL/ADAM29 ratio is less than one, or     -   unmutated if the LPL/ADAM29 ratio is greater than or equal to         one.

In this embodiment, the subject in need of classifying IgVH mutational status may be either a subject that has been diagnosed by conventional methods as having CLL or may be a subject that has been identified as having a significant probability of having CLL by the method described hereinabove.

If the L/A ratio or ZAP-70 (described in the art previously) would be used independently as surrogate marker of the mutational status, it may lead to an inappropriate classification of a small fraction of patients, which may be problematic in a risk-adapted therapeutic attitude. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the present inventors therefore combined both markers, which resulted in a much closer correlation with the IgVH mutational status.

To this end, the ZAP-70 expression level may be determined as described previously^(20,21) or by the method detailed in the Examples of the present specification. The ZAP-70 expression level is then used in the context of the present invention to validate the IgVH mutational status classified by the L/A ratio. To this end, the validation method is conducted by:

-   -   determining the percentage of CD3+CD56+ cells present in a         specimen from the subject classified by L/A ratio that are         positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression; and     -   classifying the IgVH gene sequence as:         -   mutated if the percentage of CD19+CD3−CD56-cells present in             said specimen that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular             expression is less than 20%, or         -   unmutated if the percentage of CD19+CD3−CD56-cells present             in said specimen that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular             expression is greater than or equal to 20%.

In the Examples of the present specification, all but one of the 74 cases expressing concordant ZAP-70 and L/A ratio were correctly assigned to their mutational group. Conversely, in about 20% of cases, ZAP-70 and the L/A ratio gave discordant results. Therefore, combining ZAP-70 and L/A ratio quantification represents an alternative to sequencing the IgVH genes in about 80% of patients. The remaining cases would require sequence determination but the work load would then be considerably reduced.

In view of the foregoing, validation of the IgVH mutational status determined by L/A ratio and/or ZAP-70 expression can be enhanced by direct determination of the IgVH mutational status by standard sequencing protocols. Additionally, in the event that L/A ratio and ZAP-70 expression give rise to discordant results, it is preferred that the IgVH mutational status be directly determined by standard sequencing protocols. Therefore, the following general method is contemplated for direct determination of the IgVH mutational status by sequencing the IgVH genes:

-   -   sequencing the IgVH genes;     -   comparing the determined IgVH gene sequences to the closest         germline counterpart; and     -   classifying the IgVH gene sequences as:         -   mutated if their homology determined by said comparing is             less than 98%, or         -   unmutated if their homology determined by said comparing is             greater than or equal to 98%.

Furthermore the present inventors have developed a simple and inexpensive way to assess simultaneous expression of LPL and ADAM29 by a multiplex RT-PCR technique. Keeping in mind that some cases will appear as doublets (6% of cases) and so will not be informative, the simplicity of the assay should permit that it is performed in most laboratories. In the Examples of the present invention, the present inventors demonstrate that the L/A ratio was at least as performant as the IgVH mutational status in predicting clinical outcome. Thus, this simple determination of LPL and ADAM29 expression would be much more cost effective than Ig sequencing.

To this end, in an embodiment of the present invention, the electrophoretic classification method of IgVH mutational status of a subject having chronic lymphocytic leukemia is conducted by:

-   -   obtaining a sample containing mRNA (preferably a peripheral         blood sample, a tissue sample, or extracted B cells from said         subject or pre-extracted mRNA) from said subject;     -   performing a competitive multiplex PCR assay in the presence of         PCR primers for LPL and ADAM29, wherein said PCR primers are SEQ         ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO:5, and SEQ ID NO:6,     -   separating the PCR amplification product; and     -   classifying the IgVH mutational status by determining the         relative intensities of the bands corresponding to 410 bp and         445 bp,         -   wherein the 410 bp band corresponds to LPL and the 445 bp             band corresponds to ADAM29; and         -   wherein             -   when the intensity of the band at 410 bp is greater than                 the intensity of the band at 445 bp or when there is                 only a single band at 410 bp then the IgVH mutational                 status is classified as being unmutated; and             -   when the intensity of the band at 410 bp is less than                 the intensity of the band at 445 bp or when there is                 only a single band at 445 bp then the IgVH mutational                 status is classified as being mutated.

In this embodiment, when a doublet (i.e., bands at 410 bp and 445 bp) is present or when the relative intensities of the band at 410 bp and the band at 445 bp are substantially similar, the present invention contemplates coupling the aforementioned method with direct IgVH mutational status classification by IgVH genes sequencing or quantitative L/A determination (with or without ZAP-70 expression analysis).

The foregoing describes a particular embodiment of the present invention. However, the described method may be performed by using other primers that have been selected for their hybridization to LPL or ADAM29 and, thus, the resultant band's size could be different. In this embodiment, the size of the appropriate primers could varied from 50 to 1000 bp, preferably 50 to 500 bp, more preferably, 75 to 205 bp, depending on the conditions of the hybridization (i.e., stringent conditions), temperature, number of cycles as well as the nature of the buffer. To this end and with the sequence of LPL and ADAM29 provided herein the artisan would be able to readily identify other suitable primers for both genes.

The terms “stringent conditions” or “stringent hybridization conditions” includes reference to conditions under which a polynucleotide will hybridize to its target sequence, to a detectably greater degree than other sequences (e.g., at least 2-fold over background). Stringent conditions are sequence-dependent and will be different in different circumstances. By controlling the stringency of the hybridization and/or washing conditions, target sequences can be identified which are 100% complementary to the probe (homologous probing). Alternatively, stringency conditions can be adjusted to allow some mismatching in sequences so that lower degrees of similarity are detected (heterologous probing).

Typically, stringent conditions will be those in which the salt concentration is less than about 1.5 M Na ion, typically about 0.01 to 1.0 M Na ion concentration (or other salts) at pH 7.0 to 8.3 and the temperature is at least about 30° C. for short probes (e.g., 10 to 50 nucleotides) and at least about 60° C. for long probes (e.g., greater than 50 nucleotides). Stringent conditions may also be achieved with the addition of destabilizing agents such as formamide. Exemplary low stringency conditions include hybridization with a buffer solution of 30 to 35% formamide, 1 M NaCl, 1% SDS (sodium dodecyl sulphate) at 37° C., and a wash in 1× to 2×SSC (20×SSC=3.0 M NaCl/0.3 M trisodium citrate) at 50 to 55° C. Exemplary moderate stringency conditions include hybridization in 40 to 45% formamide, 1 M NaCl, 1% SDS at 37° C., and a wash in 0.5× to 1×SSC at 55 to 60° C. Exemplary high stringency conditions include hybridization in 50% formamide, 1 M NaCl, 1% SDS at 37° C., and a wash in 0.1×SSC at 60 to 65° C.

Specificity is typically the function of post-hybridization washes, the critical factors being the ionic strength and temperature of the final wash solution. For DNA-DNA hybrids, the Tm can be approximated from the equation of Meinkoth and Wahl, Anal. Biochem., 138:267-284 (1984): Tm=81.5° C.+16.6 (log M)+0.41 (% GC)−0.61 (% form)−500/L; where M is the molarity of monovalent cations, % GC is the percentage of guanosine and cytosine nucleotides in the DNA, % form is the percentage of formamide in the hybridization solution, and L is the length of the hybrid in base pairs. The Tm is the temperature (under defined ionic strength and pH) at which 50% of a complementary target sequence hybridizes to a perfectly matched probe. Tm is reduced by about 1° C. for each 1% of mismatching; thus, Tm, hybridization and/or wash conditions can be adjusted to hybridize to sequences of the desired identity. For example, if sequences with approximately 90% identity are sought, the Tm can be decreased 10° C. Generally, stringent conditions are selected to be about 5° C. lower than the thermal melting point (Tm) for the specific sequence and its complement at a defined ionic strength and pH. However, severely stringent conditions can utilize hybridization and/or wash at 1, 2, 3, or 4° C. lower than the thermal melting point (Tm); moderately stringent conditions can utilize a hybridization and/or wash at 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10° C. lower than the thermal melting point (Tm); low stringency conditions can utilize a hybridization and/or wash at 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, or 20° C. lower than the thermal melting point (Tm). Using the equation, hybridization and wash compositions, and desired Tm, those of ordinary skill will understand that variations in the stringency of hybridization and/or wash solutions are inherently described. If the desired degree of mismatching results in a Tm of less than 45° C. (aqueous solution) or 32° C. (formamide solution) it is preferred to increase the SSC concentration so that a higher temperature can be used. An extensive guide to the hybridization of nucleic acids is found in Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Chapter 2, Ausubel, et al., Eds., Greene Publishing and Wiley-Interscience, New York (2000).

In view of the foregoing, in another embodiment of the present invention, the electrophoretic classification method of IgVH mutational status of a subject having chronic lymphocytic leukemia is conducted by:

-   -   obtaining a sample containing mRNA (preferably a peripheral         blood sample, a tissue sample, or extracted B cells from said         subject or pre-extracted mRNA) from said subject;     -   performing a competitive multiplex PCR assay in the presence of         PCR primers for LPL and ADAM29, wherein said PCR primers are         selected such that the size differences between the bands         corresponding to LPL and ADAM29 are resolvable by         electrophoresis,     -   separating the PCR amplification product; and     -   classifying the IgVH mutational status by determining the         relative intensities of the bands corresponding to LPL and         ADAM29,         -   wherein             -   when the intensity of the band corresponding to LPL is                 greater than the intensity of the band corresponding to                 ADAM29 or when there is only a single band corresponding                 to LPL then the IgVH mutational status is classified as                 being unmutated; and             -   when the intensity of the band corresponding to LPL is                 less than the intensity of the band corresponding to                 ADAM29 or when there is only a single band corresponding                 to ADAM29 then the IgVH mutational status is classified                 as being mutated.

In addition to their value as surrogate markers, the present inventors evaluated the ability of the L/A ratio and ZAP-70 expression to predict clinical outcome. In univariate analysis, both parameters, as well as the IgVH mutational status, correlated with event free survival (EFS) in the whole population. In multivariate analysis, however, ZAP-70 was no longer selected. For stage A patients, these 3 biological parameters were predictive of EFS. This result is in keeping with Crespo et al.' series where ZAP-70 expression predicted survival only in stage A patients.²⁰ When considering the stage B and C patients, the L/A ratio was the only parameter which correlated significantly with survival in univariate analysis. The IgVH UM status became a significant risk factor only after adjustment on sex and age in multivariate analysis. In contrast, ZAP-70 expression had no prognostic value in this group of patients. The availability of biological prognostic indicators such as the L/A ratio for stage B and C CLL cases may therefore be of great importance for future risk-adapted treatments.

Prognostics found by using L/A ratio is independent of the Classification of Stage A, B, C and D. L/A ratio is a best prognostic marker of CLL progression than previous stage classification. This conclusion derives from the observation of results shown in Table 8 below.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of allowing accurate estimation of the prognosis in a patient having chronic lymphocytic leukemia, by designating the subject as having a significant probability of having an aggressive form of the disease if there is overexpression of the LPL gene or an indolent form of the disease if there is overexpression of ADAM29 gene.

To this end, the present invention provides a method of distinguishing in a subject in need thereof between whether said subject has an aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia or an indolent form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia comprising

-   -   obtaining a specimen from said subject;     -   determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in said         specimen;     -   designating the subject as having a significant probability of         having an aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia if the         LPL gene is overexpressed; or         -   an indolent form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia if the             ADAM29 gene is overexpressed.

As used herein gene expression of LPL and/or ADAM29 is considered to be overexpressed when expression in the subject is compared to the expression level of the respective gene in a normal “healthy” person. For instance, the absence of LPL expression in normal subjects is well-known. In a preferred embodiment, overexpression is determined on the basis of comparison to a reference (i.e., household gene), for example GAPDH. Using GAPDH, overexpression is considered:

a ratio LPL/GAPDH>1.0 and

a ratio of ADAM29/GAPDH>2.8, more preferably a ratio of ADAM29/GAPDH>3.0.

In summary, the present invention demonstrates that LPL and ADAM29 expression levels correlate with the mutational profile of IgVH genes as well, if not better, than ZAP-70, and is useful to classify the IgVH mutational status of a subject having CLL. Combination of the L/A ratio with ZAP-70 expression provides an accurate prediction of the IgVH mutational status in 80% of CLL cases, thus rendering sequencing unnecessary in these patients. In addition, the L/A ratio is a prognostic indicator which appears to outmatch ZAP-70 in terms of survival prediction for advanced CLL cases.

Also included within the scope of the present invention are kits suitable for detecting (as used herein “detecting” includes “diagnosing and/or prognosing”) lymphocytic leukemia (preferably chronic lymphocytic leukemia). Preferably, such a kit would contain primers that hybridize to and/or facilitate amplification of the LPL and/or the ADAM29 genes, and at least one housekeeping gene. Needless-to-say, the present invention contemplates packaging of the present kit such that the primers for the LPL gene and the ADAM29 gene are in the same or different vial (or tube). Also, the housekeeping gene (see above) may admixed with either the LPL gene or the ADAM29 gene or may be in its own independent tube. Additional components that may also be contained in the kit (admixed with one or more of the other components or individually packaged) of the present invention include primers specific for the selected housekeeping gene and reagents (including dNTPs) for amplification. Further, it is to be understood that for each tube used the components therein may be in an aqueous, non-aqueous, dry or crystalline state, or may be admixed with a suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Wherein the components of the kit are present in a non-aqueous, dry, or crystalline state, it is preferred that the kit further contain an additional vial or tube that contains a suitable diluent, which will provide the user with the appropriate concentration of the components for use in the methods of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the kit will contain instructions for using of the components contained in the kit in the methods of the present invention, as included; such instructions can be in the form of printed, electronic, visual, and/or audio instructions.

The above written description of the invention provides a manner and process of making and using it such that any person skilled in this art is enabled to make and use the same, this enablement being provided in particular for the subject matter of the appended claims, which make up a part of the original description.

As used above, the phrases “selected from the group consisting of,” “chosen from,” and the like include mixtures of the specified materials.

Where a numerical limit or range is stated herein, the endpoints are included. Also, all values and subranges within a numerical limit or range are specifically included as if explicitly written out.

The above description is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, this invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

Having generally described this invention, a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples, which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.

EXAMPLES Materials and Methods Patients and samples

A multi-center retrospective study was undertaken on samples from 127 patients diagnosed between October 1979 and February 2003, and identified from the registries of the Pasteur Institute and Hopital Pitie-Salpetriere, Paris, France (n=92), and the University Hospital, Sao Paulo, Brazil (n=35). Inclusion criteria consisted of: 1) diagnosis of typical CLL based on morphologic and phenotypic analyses;²⁴ 2) availability of frozen samples; 3) previous determination of IgVH mutational status; and 4) patient's informed consent according to Brazilian and French regulations. This series included 87 stage A, 29 stage B and 11 stage C patients according to Binet's staging system². Median follow-up time was 73 months for the whole series (range 1 to 291), while it was 87 months for stage A patients and 50 months for stages B and C. “Progression” was defined as change of clinical stage and/or need for treatment.

As described below, a series of surrogate marker candidates were assessed. Gene expression of LPL, SPG20, ADAM29 and NRIP1 were studied on a first set of 71 patients, including 45 stage A and 26 stage B and C, and compared to the IgVH mutational status taken as the gold standard (described herein below). Only markers showing appropriate test performances in comparison to IgVH mutational status were selected as potential prognosis markers and tested on an additional set of 56 patients.

Only peripheral blood samples were considered for analyses. For 113 patients the peripheral blood samples were acquired at the time of diagnosis. In 14 stage A cases with a very stable lymphocytosis over time, the samples were acquired after a defined time after diagnosis.

Mononuclear cells had been separated by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient centrifugation, and stored in liquid nitrogen. Upon thawing, cell viability was first assessed by trypan blue staining before further analysis. In five cases, B cell populations were purified by negative magnetic selection using anti-CD3, anti-CD14, anti-16 and anti-CD56 monoclonal antibodies (Dynal, Oslo, Norway). Final purity was evaluated by flow cytometry to be greater than 98%. Control samples from 7 healthy adult volunteers were obtained using the same procedures and included peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC, n=4) and purified B cells (n=3). In addition the T-cell line Jurkatt was cultured in RPMI 1640 medium containing 10% fetal calf serum, 2 mM glutamine, 1% sodium pyruvate and penicillin-streptomycin.

IgVH mutational status—

The IgVH gene sequences were determined as previously described.²⁵ Briefly, amplification of Ig heavy chain variable regions by PCR was performed on DNA from leukemic cells with consensus primers for the VH framework region 1 and JH genes as previously described²⁵ or following the BIOMED-2 protocols.²⁶ Purified PCR products were sequenced either directly or after a cloning procedure using an automated DNA sequencer. Sequence data were analyzed using: (a) IGBLAST available through the website for the National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Md., USA) on the web at: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/igblast, (b) V-BASE available through the website for the Centre for Protein Engineering, Medical Research Council, University of Cambridge (Cambridge, UK) on the web at: mrc-cpe.cam.ac.uk/vbase-ok.php?menu=901, and (c) ImMunoGeneTics database available through the website for the The International Immunogenetics Information System (IMGT, Montpellier, France) on the web at: imgt.cines.fr. IgVH sequences were considered as mutated if their homology with the closest germline counterpart was less than 98%.

RNA Isolation and cDNA Synthesis—

Total cellular RNA was extracted using the RNeasy kit (Qiagen, Courtaboeuf, France) following supplier's instructions. The integrity of RNA was assessed by visualization of the 18S and 28S RNA species upon electrophoresis in agarose gel after ethidium bromide staining. First strand cDNA was synthesized from 2 μg of total RNA, using Superscript I reverse transcriptase (Invitrogen, Cergy-Pontoise, France) and oligodT or random hexamer primers.

Quantitative RT-PCR—

For gene expression analyses of LPL, SPG20, ADAM29 and NRIP1, the present inventors performed RQ-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) using the Light Cycler System (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany) and the SYBR Green I dye. Primers used in this study (Table 1) were designed with the Gene Runner software (Hastings Software, Colorado, USA). RQ-PCR was performed using 100 ng of reversly transcribed total RNA (cDNA) with the following parameters: 10 minutes at 95° C. for initial denaturation, then 40 cycles of 10 seconds at 95° C., 5 seconds at 62° C. and 17 seconds at 72° C.

The specificity of the amplified products was verified by analysis of their respective melting curves as provided by the Light Cycler software. All reactions were performed in duplicate and each PCR run also included the 5 points of the calibration curve and a no-template control. Estimation of the quality of cDNA for each sample was performed by quantification of an endogenous reference, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). The gene copy number was calculated with a standard curve generated from serially diluted (10-fold dilutions from 10⁶ to 10² copies) plasmids containing the respective sequence (LPL, ADAM29 or Housekeeping gene) verified insert. Results were expressed as the ratio of mean of gene copy number/mean GAPDH copy number ×100 (used herein as “normalized gene expression”).

Multiplex RT-PCR—

The present inventors also evaluated the relative expression of LPL and ADAM29 by multiplex RT-PCR, using the same primers than those for RQ-PCR (Table 1). Different concentrations of primers, MgCl₂ and dNTP were first evaluated. Optimized PCR conditions were obtained with primers at the final concentrations of 0.5 μM for LPL and 0.25 μM for ADAM29, 1.5 mM MgCl₂ and 200 μM dNTP. Amplifications were performed using 100 ng cDNA and included an initial denaturation step at 94° C. for 5 minutes, followed by 29 cycles of 30 seconds at 95° C., 20 seconds at 62° C. and 30 seconds at 72° C. Finally, the reaction was completed with a final elongation step at 72° C. for 5 minutes. PCR products were analyzed on ethidium bromide-stained 2% agarose gel electrophoresis, where they appeared as a 445 bp band for ADAM29 and a 410 bp band for LPL. Amplification of GAPDH was performed in parallel to ensure cDNA integrity.

Alternatively, primers can be fluorescent labeled primers and the resultant PCR products can be analyzed on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (GenScan). L/A ration can be determined by measuring and comparing the corresponding surfaces under the curves, after scan.

TABLE 1 Sequences of primers used in RQ-PCR and multiplex-PCR Primer Sequence (5′ → 3′) GAPDH forward GGTGCTGAGTATGTCGTGGA (SEQ ID NO: 1) GAPDH reverse ATGCCAGTGAGCTTCCGTT (SEQ ID NO: 2) LPL forward GGAATGTATGAGAGTTGGGTGC (SEQ ID NO: 3) LPL reverse CAATGCTTCGACCAGGGGACC (SEQ ID NO: 4) ADAM29 forward TCTTATGTGGGCTGGTGGATCC (SEQ ID NO: 5) ADAM29 reverse GACCTAGATGATGAGCCACTGC (SEQ ID NO: 6) SPG20 forward CTGAAATGTACTGCGGGAGCC (SEQ ID NO: 7) SPG20 reverse CCAACTCACCCAGGAAGCACC (SEQ ID NO: 8) NRIP1 forward GGATAGCACATTACTGGCCTCT (SEQ ID NO: 9) NRIP1 reverse AGGTTTAGGTGAGGTGGCAGG (SEQ ID NO: 10)

Multiparametric Flow Cytometry—

Flow-cytometric analysis of ZAP-70 intracellular expression was performed using the method described by Crespo et al.²⁰ with some minor modifications. Thawed mononuclear cells were fixed in 2% paraformaldehyde and were subsequently permeabilized by incubation with phosphate-buffered saline containing 0.1% saponin (Sigma, Saint-Quentin Favallier, France) and 0.5% bovine serum albumin.

One million cells were first incubated with 2.5 μg of anti-ZAP-70 antibody (clone 2F3.2, Upstate, Lake Placid, N.Y., USA), or irrelevant isotype-matched anti-CD14 monoclonal antibodies (DakoCytomation, Trappes, France). After washing, they were incubated with 1.5 μg of F(ab′)₂ fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated goat anti-mouse antibody (Immunotech, Marseille, France). Cells were then washed and incubated with phycoerythrin-cyanin 5 (PC5)-conjugated mouse anti-CD19 (Immunotech), allophycocyanin (APC)-conjugated mouse anti-CD3 and APC-conjugated mouse anti-CD56 (BD Biosciences, San Jose, Calif., USA).

Samples including at least 10⁴ cells were further analysed with a flow cytometer (FACSCalibur, BD Biosciences) and the use of CellQuest Pro software (BD Biosciences). Lymphocyte cells were first selected on size structure characteristics, and then gated on B cells (CD19+, gate R2) and T and NK cells (CD3+CD56+, gate R3). Biparametric dot plot graphs were obtained separately for cells that were stained for respectively CD3, CD56 and ZAP-70, or CD19 and ZAP-70, or CD3, CD56 and CD14 (negative control). In those plots as well as in monoparametric histograms, ZAP-70 expression on CD3+CD56+ cells served to determine the percentage of CLL cells that were positive for ZAP-70.

Statistical Analyses—

Expression levels of the 4 tested genes and of ZAP-70 protein were compared with the IgVH mutational status as a reference. Threshold values that could best discriminate MT from UM cases were first determined by plotting expression values against IgVH percentage of germline homology, and then further refined by calculating Youden's index²⁷ and validity index (the percentage of correctly classified cases). Thereafter the performance indexes including sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were determined.

Distributions of patients, according to Binet staging, sex and IgVH mutational status were compared using Chi square test. Median follow-up was calculated for each Binet stage group.

Since CLL-related deaths were mainly observed in stage B and C (only 4 cases in stage A), while disease progression was the most frequent event for stage A patients, the present inventors evaluated event-free survival, from diagnosis to date of disease progression or CLL-related death or last follow-up visit, for the whole cohort and stage A patients. Overall survival was calculated only for stage B and C patients. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Statistical significance of associations between individual variables and survival was calculated by the log-rank test.

Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were done according to the Cox proportional hazards regression model. As the biological factors studied as potential surrogate markers of IgVH mutational status and prognostic indicators were by definition strongly correlated with IgVH mutational status, it was inappropriate to test them simultaneously by Cox regression. Consequently, two Cox regression analyses were performed: the first one testing IgVH mutational status, the second one testing the other selected factors, in both circumstances with adjustment on age, sex, and when appropriate Binet's staging. Variables with two-tailed P<0.05 were considered as significant. All analyses were done using SPSS Statistical Software, version 11.5 (Chicago, Ill., USA).

RESULTS Example 1 Patients' Characteristics

Table 2 summarizes the 127 patients' characteristics:

TABLE 2 Clinical and biological characteristics of patients Stages Stages Stage A Stage B Stage C B + C A + B + C No. Patients 87 29 11 40 127 Age, years* 63.0 58.0 59.0 58.5 61.0 Male sex 51 (59%) 24 (83%) 5 (45%) 29 (72%) 80 (63%) Lymphocyte count, ×10⁹/L* 15.2 37.2 151.8 45.0 19.0 Hemoglobin, g/dL* 14.1 13.4 7.2 13.0 13.8 Platelets, ×10⁹/L* 212.5 160.0 187.5 172.0 198.0 Lymphocyte doubling time >12 months 64 (84%) NA NA NA NA <12 months 12 (16%) NA NA NA NA IgVH genes UM 27 (31%) 17 (59%) 9 (82%) 26 (65%) 53 (42%) MT 60 (69%) 12 (41%) 2 (18%) 14 (35%) 74 (58%) ZAP-70 <20% 45 (65%)  7 (30%) 3 (33%) 10 (31%) 55 (54%) ≧20% 24 (35%) 16 (70%) 6 (67%) 22 (69%) 46 (46%) L/A ratio <1 56 (69%) 13 (46%) 2 (20%) 15 (39%) 71 (60%) ≧1 25 (31%) 15 (54%) 8 (80%) 23 (61%) 48 (40%) Progression 22 (25%) NA NA NA NA CLL-related death 4 (5%) 11 (38%) 6 (55%) 16 (40%) 20 (18%) *Median values UM indicates unmutated; MT, mutated; L/A, LPL/ADAM29; NA, not applicable.

Fifty three patients (42%) were allocated to the UM IgVH group while 74 displayed a MT IgVH profile. The MT and UM cases were heterogeneously distributed within Binet stages, since 69% of stage A patients displayed a MT IgVH profile, while 65% were UM among B and C cases (p<0.001). Sex distribution was also heterogeneous with a high proportion of male patients among UM cases (70%) and a slight female predominance (53%) in the MT group (p=0.05). Twenty disease-related deaths were recorded in these series, and 4 additional deaths, unrelated to CLL, occurred among stage A patients. Based on French Cooperative Group guidelines, almost all stage B and C patients received early treatment, whereas treatment was deferred for stage A patients until disease progression. This was the case for 22 stage A patients (25%), of whom 4 died.

Example 2 LPL and ADAM29 are Better Surrogate Markers for IgVH Mutational Status than SPG20 and NRIP1

LPL, SPG20, ADAM29 and NRIP1 were first evaluated in an initial series of 71 patients. The present inventors quantified the expression of these 4 genes on total lymphocytes, since preliminary experiments in five patients showed similar results as compared to purified leukemic cells (data not shown). For each gene, the present inventors determined which expression levels could best segregate UM from MT patients using Youden's and validity indexes. Results showed that overall LPL and ADAM29 performed better than SPG20 and NRIP1 to predict UM and MT IgVH profiles respectively (Table 3). The concordance rate was 83% for ADAM29, 77% for LPL, 65% for SPG20 and 45% for NRIP1.

TABLE 3 Correlation of gene expression with IgVH mutational status Gene LPL/ expres- LPL ADAM29 SPG20 NRIP1 ADAM29 sion^(‡) ≧1 <1 ≧3 <3 ≧3.5 <3.5 ≧4 <4 ≧1 <1 UM 30 7 8 29 21 13 17 16 32 5 (n = 37) MT 9 25 28 6 7 27 19 15 3 31 (n = 34) Sensi- 81% 82% 57% 56% 86% tivity* Speci- 74% 78% 79% 43% 91% ficity* PPV* 77% 78% 75% 53% 91% NPV* 78% 83% 67% 52% 86% *These parameters were calculated in relation to unmutated IgVH genes for LPL, SPG20, and LPL/ADAM29, and to mutated IgVH genes for ADAM29 and NRIP1. ^(‡)Results were expressed as the ratio of mean of gene copy number/mean GAPDH copy number × 100 UM indicates unmutated; MT, mutated; PPV, positive predictive value; NPV, negative predictive value.

Next, the present inventors investigated whether a combination of the most discriminating parameters by a simple 1 to 1 LPL/ADAM29 (L/A) ratio could improve their individual predictive potential for mutational status. With a calculated threshold of 1, the L/A ratio displayed better sensitivity and specificity than each marker taken individually. Positive predictive value (PPV) was 91% for UM cases and negative predictive value (NPV) was 86% for MT patients, providing a better performance than each individual marker (Table 3). Thus the L/A ratio constituted the best marker reflecting the mutational status of IgVH genes in this cohort of 71 CLL patients, with a concordance rate of 89%.

Example 3 Reproducibility of LPL and ADAM29 Quantification

Since LPL and ADAM29 appeared to better reflect the IgVH mutational status, the present inventors evaluated the reproducibility of their quantification by RQ-PCR. This was done by comparing results obtained from replicate samples for 4 patients, 2 overexpressing LPL and 2 overexpressing ADAM29. For each patient, 4 replicates were analyzed during the same reaction run (intra-run variability), and this was repeated on 3 different days (inter-run variability). The overall variability of these 12 replicates is shown in Table 4. Of note, intra-run variability was always smaller than overall variability, with CV being less than 0.5% for LPL and less than 1.1% for ADAM29 (data not shown).

TABLE 4 Reproducibility of RQ-PCR LPL ADAM29 Patient Ct ± SD CV (%) Ct ± SD CV (%) CLL-73 23.54 ± 0.46 1.97 NA NA CLL- 23.96 ± 0.38 1.59 NA NA 105 CLL-67 NA NA 27.33 ± 1.18 4.31 CLL- NA NA 23.32 2.21 101 Ct indicates threshold cycle; SD, standard deviation; CV, coefficient of variation

Example 4 Expression of LPL and ADAM29 in Normal Cells

Although experiments on purified and unpurified CLL cells showed similar results, the present inventors wanted to evaluate a possible expression of LPL and ADAM29 genes in normal cells which might contaminate patient samples. ADAM29 was not detected in PBMC from 4 healthy individuals, nor in purified B cells from 3 additional healthy donors. Similar results were obtained with LPL except for 1 of the 3 purified B cell samples where it was present at low levels (data not shown). In addition the T-cell line Jurkatt failed to express any of these 2 genes. Thus, all or most of the LPL and ADAM29 transcripts that the present inventors measured in patients samples originated from leukemic cells and not from background normal mononuclear cells.

Example 5 L/A Ratio Predicts the IgVH Mutational Status at Least as Well as ZAP-70

Results obtained with the initial CLL series led us to compare LPL and ADAM29 mRNA to ZAP-70 protein expression in the entire cohort of 127 patients, which included the 71 patients studied initially and 56 additional cases. In this series, LPL and ADAM29 values were available for 119 patients, whereas ZAP-70 could be determined for 101 patients and all three parameters for 93 patients. Threshold values were determined and found to be identical to those of the first cohort. On this larger series, the L/A ratio once again provided a better concordance (90%) with IgVH mutational status than LPL (76%) or ADAM29 (82%) taken individually (Table 5).

ZAP-70 expression was measured by flow cytometry in leukemic B cells in comparison with that of the patients' T and NK cells (FIG. 1). A cut-off value at 20% positivity was found to provide the best correlation with IgVH genes (FIG. 2). Fifty patients (50%) had MT IgVH genes and were ZAP-70 negative while 35 displayed UM IgVH genes (35%) and were ZAP-70 positive. Concordance rate with IgVH mutational status was 84%, thus slightly lower than that obtained with the L/A ratio (Table 5, above).

TABLE 5 Correlation of LPL, ADAM29 gene expression and ZAP-70 protein expression with IgVH mutational status LPL/ Gene LPL ADAM29 ADAM29 ZAP-70 expression^(‡) ≧1 <1 ≧3 <3 ≧1 <1 ≧20% <20% UM 41 9 9 41 43 7 35 5 MT 19 50 57 12 5 64 11 50 Sensitivity* 82% 82% 86% 87% Specificity* 72% 83% 93% 82% PPV* 68% 77% 90% 76% NPV* 85% 86% 90% 91% LPL and ADAM29 gene expression was quantified by RQ-PCR for 119 patients, while ZAP-70 protein expression was determined by flow cytometry for 101 cases. Abbreviations are explained in Table 3 ^(‡)Results were expressed as the ratio of mean of gene copy number/mean GAPDH copy number × 100; ZAP-70 is expressed as a percent positivity (see FIG. 2) *These parameters were calculated in relation to unmutated IgVH genes for LPL and LPL/ADAM29, and to mutated IgVH genes for ADAM29.

Example 6 Combination of ZAP-70 and L/A Ratio Determination Provides Almost Perfect Prediction of IgVH Mutational Status

The present inventors next examined the interest of combining ZAP-70 expression and the L/A ratio in the 93 patients for which all 3 parameters had been determined. Cases were scored as “positive” or “negative” for a given marker based on expression values above or below the thresholds. As depicted in Table 6, all double positive patients (ZAP-70⁺ L/A⁻; n=30) except one expressed UM IgVH genes, and all double negative cases (ZAP-70⁻ L/A⁻; n=44) had MT IgVH genes. Although these clusters demonstrate a strong predictive power, with almost perfect (99%) accuracy, discordant profiles showing only one positive marker still accounted for 20% of CLL patients. They included 13 cases expressing a ZAP-70⁺ L/A⁻profile, whereas 6 patients were ZAP-70⁻L/A⁺. Of note, the mutational status of these 19 cases would have been predicted correctly more often by the L/A ratio alone (13 cases) than by ZAP-70 expression alone (6 cases). The characteristics of these patients are presented in Table 7.

TABLE 6 Groups of CLL patients according to L/A ratio and ZAP-70 expression ZAP-70⁺ L/ ZAP-70⁺ L/ ZAP-70⁻ L/ ZAP-70⁻ L/ A⁺ A⁻ A⁺ A⁻ UM (n = 37) 29 4 4 0 MT (n = 56) 1 9 2 44 Total (n = 93) 30 (32%) 13 (14%) 6 (6%) 44 (47%) Positivity or negativity for ZAP-70 refers to expression values ≧20% or <20% respectively. Positivity or negativity for L/A ratio refers to expression values ≧1 or <1 respectively. Abbreviations are explained in Table 2.

TABLE 7 Individual characteristics of the 19 patients presenting discordant results between the L/A ratio and ZAP-70 expression ZAP-70 IgV_(H) Lymphocytes Follow-up Patient L/A (%) (% homology) Stage (×10⁹/L) (months) Events UM#1 <1 59  1-69 (100) B 11 91 Treated UM#2 <1 73  3-9 (100) A 18.2 23 — UM#3 <1 86 1-24 (99) B 31.5 91 Treated UM#4 <1 62 3-21 (98) B 7.8 22 Treated MT#1 <1 40 4-34 (93) A 11.6 251 — MT#2 <1 62  3-7 (94) A 8.7 153 — MT#3 <1 81 3-21 (94) B 8.3 100 Treated MT#4 <1 88 3-21 (97) A 45.4 83 Treated MT#5 <1 56 4-39 (96) A 11.8 144 — MT#6 <1 23 3-23 (91) A 39.7 133 Treated MT#7 <1 82 3-13 (97) B 34.9 54 Treated MT#8 <1 79 3-64 (96) A 22.5 56 Treated MT#9 <1 31  1-2 (97) A 21.8 55 Progression UM#5 ≧1 4 3-74 (99) C 201.2 2 Dead UM#6 ≧1 7  3-21 (100) A 12.0 24 — UM#7 ≧1 13 3-20 (99) A 22.0 14 — UM#8 ≧1 7  4-39 (100) A 24.0 93 Dead* MT#10 ≧1 3 3-23 (95) B 74.6 15 Treated MT#11 ≧1 3 1-18 (88) A 9.6 102 — *Death unrelated to CLL Abbreviations are explained in Table 2.

Example 7 The L/A Ratio is a Predictor of Survival in CLL

Median event free survival (EFS) for the entire cohort was 87 months in CLLs displaying UM IgVH genes as compared to 149 months in MT patients (P<0.0001). It was 84 months for patients with a L/A ratio above 1 and 88 months for patients expressing ZAP-70, while median EFS was not achieved for L/A⁻ (P<0.0001) nor ZAP-70⁻ patients (P=0.0001) (FIG. 3A). Multivariate Cox regression showed that, with adjustment on age and sex, UM IgVH and stage B or C were independently associated with disease progression or CLL-related death with hazard ratios of respectively 5.0 (p<0.0001) and 2.6 (p=0.01) (Table 8). Similarly, L/A ratio above 1 and stage B or C were independently and significantly associated with shorter EFS. ZAP-70, however, was not found to be an independent prognosis factor.

In stage A patients, an identical median EFS of 87 months was observed for patients with UM IgVH genes, L/A ratio above 1 and expressing ZAP-70, while it was not achieved for cases with MT IgVH genes, L/A ratio below 1, and ZAP-70 negative (all P<0.0001) (FIG. 3B). In multivariate Cox analyses, after adjustment on age and sex, both ZAP-70 and L/A ratio were independent significant prognostic factors. This was also true for the IgVH mutational status (Table 8).

The 40 stage B and C patients were analyzed together for evaluation of overall survival (OS) (FIG. 3C). There was a trend for longer OS in patients with MT than in those with UM IgVH genes (128 vs 79 months; P=0.067). The L/A ratio was predictive of survival since patients with a ratio above 1 had a median OS of 79 months, while it was not yet reached at time of analysis for those with a ratio below 1 (P=0.03). In contrast ZAP-70 did not correlate with survival in this group (100 vs 80 months; P=0.28). By multivariate Cox analysis, an L/A ratio below 1 was found as a significant prognostic factor, while ZAP-70 was not independently associated with survival. In a separate Cox analysis, IgVH mutational status became a significant prognosis factor, after adjustment on age and sex (Table 8).

TABLE 8 Prognostic factors for disease progression and CLL-related death in multivariate Cox regression Factor Hazard ratio (95% CI) P All stages, event free survival for all stages Model 1 including IgVH Age 1.1 (1.0-1.2) 0.20* Sex (male) 1.4 (1.0-2.0) 0.29 Binet's stage B/C 2.6 (1.8-3.7) 0.01 Unmutated IgVH 5.0 (3.4-7.2) <0.0001 Model 2 including L/A ratio^(†) Age 1.1 (1.0-1.2) 0.50* Sex (male) 1.4 (1.2-2.7) 0.12 Binet's stage B/C 2.5 (1.7-3.7) 0.02 L/A ratio ≧1 5.6 (3.8-8.1) <0.0001 Event-free survival for Binet's stage A Model 1 including IgVH Age 1.0 (0.9-1.1) 0.86* Sex 1.6 (1.0-2.3) 0.28 Unmutated IgVH 5.7 (3.6-9.1) 0.0002 Model 2 including L/A ratio and ZAP-70 Age 0.9 (0.8-1.0) 0.29* Sex (male) 1.7 (1.0-2.7) 0.32 ZAP-70 (<20%) 4.2 (2.3-7.7) 0.02 L/A ratio ≧1 3.9 (2.1-7.2) 0.03 Overall survival for stages B and C Model 1 including IgVH Age 1.5 (1.2-1.8) 0.03* Sex (male) 1.0 (0.5-2.1) 0.99 Unmutated IgVH  7.2 (3.4-15.1) 0.01 Model 2 including L/A ratio^(†) Age 1.6 (1.3-2.0) 0.05* Sex (male) 0.5 (0.3-1.3) 0.46 L/A ratio ≧1 6.8 (3.3-14.) 0.01 Multivariate analyses were done separately for IgVH or ZAP-70 and L/A ratio, due to the high concordance between the latter two parameters and the former. *P-value for trend test ^(†)ZAP-70 was not independently associated with disease progression or CLL-related death and was then eliminated in the final Cox model.

Example 8 Determination of the LPL and ADAM29 Gene Expression by a Simple Qualitative Multiplex PCR Assay

To simplify the assessment of LPL and ADAM29 gene expression, the present inventors developed a simple competitive multiplex PCR assay, where both genes were simultaneously amplified generating PCR products of different size (respectively 410 bp and 445 bp) (FIG. 4). This assay was then evaluated on 95 patients of our series. Experiments were performed in duplicate on separate PCR for 25 cases and showed a perfect reproductibility.

Using our defined PCR conditions, the results were unambiguous in 89 cases with production of a single band, or 2 bands but with one clearly more intense than the other. They correlated with the RQ-PCR results, since patients expressing LPL preferentially had a L/A ratio above 1, while those expressing ADAM29 predominantly had a L/A ratio below 1. PCR products of both sizes with roughly similar intensities were obtained for 6 patients (6%). In 5 of these 6 cases for whom the multiplex PCR was not conclusive, the L/A ratio values were in the range of 0.7-1.5. None of these genes were detected when tested on purified B cells for healthy individuals or the Jurkatt T-cell line (FIG. 4).

Numerous modifications and variations on the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the accompanying claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

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1: A method of identifying a subject with a significant probability of having lymphocytic leukemia in a subject in need thereof, comprising: determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in a sample containing mRNA obtained from said subject; and designating said subject as having a significant probability of having lymphocytic leukemia if said determining evidences expression of at least one of LPL and ADAM29 in said sample. 2: The method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to said determining, extracting a specimen from said subject, wherein said specimen contains mRNA. 3: The method according to claim 2, wherein said specimen contains at least one biological material selected from the group consisting of peripheral mononuclear blood cells, a tissue containing B cells, and extracted B cells. 4: The method according to claim 3, wherein said specimen is a peripheral blood sample. 5: The method according to claim 1, wherein said subject is a human. 6: The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining is by an amplification method. 7: The method according to claim 6, wherein said amplification method is a PCR method and is selected from the group consisting of real-time PCR and multiplex PCR. 8: The method according to claim 1, further comprising classifying said lymphocytic leukemia as chronic lymphocytic leukemia by classifying the IgVH mutational status of said subject based on the expression ratio of LPL and ADAM29. 9: A method of classifying IgVH mutational status of a subject having chronic lymphocytic leukemia, comprising obtaining a peripheral blood sample from said subject; determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in said peripheral blood sample; evaluating the LPL/ADAM29 gene expression ratio; and classifying the IgVH gene as: mutated if the LPL/ADAM29 ratio is less than one, or unmutated if the LPL/ADAM29 ratio is greater than or equal to one. 10: The method according to claim 9, wherein said determining is by an amplification method. 11: The method according to claim 10, wherein said amplification method is a PCR method and is selected from the group consisting of real-time PCR and multiplex PCR. 12: The method according to claim 9, further comprising validating the IgVH mutational status wherein said validating comprises determining the percentage of CD3+CD56+ cells present in a specimen obtained from said subject that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression; and classifying the IgVH gene sequence as: mutated if the percentage of CD19+CD3−CD56-cells present in said specimen that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression is less than 20%, or unmutated if the percentage of CD19+CD3−CD56-cells present in said specimen that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression is greater than or equal to 20%. 13: A method of classifying IgVH mutational status of a subject having chronic lymphocytic leukemia, comprising obtaining a sample containing mRNA from said subject; performing a competitive multiplex PCR assay in the presence of PCR primers for LPL and ADAM29, wherein said PCR primers are SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO:5, and SEQ ID NO:6, separating the PCR amplification product; and classifying the IgVH mutational status by determining the relative intensities of the bands corresponding to 410 bp and 445 bp, wherein the 410 bp band corresponds to LPL and the 445 bp band corresponds to ADAM29; and wherein when the intensity of the band at 410 bp is greater than the intensity of the band at 445 bp or when there is only a single band at 410 bp then the IgVH mutational status is classified as being unmutated; and when the intensity of the band at 410 bp is less than the intensity of the band at 445 bp or when there is only a single band at 445 bp then the IgVH mutational status is classified as being mutated. 14: The method according to claim 13, wherein said sample contains at least one biological material selected from the group consisting of peripheral mononuclear blood cells, a tissue containing B cells, extracted B cells, and pre-extracted mRNA. 15: The method according to claim 13, wherein when the intensity of the band at 410 bp and the band at 445 bp are both present, said method further comprises validating the IgVH mutational status. 16: The method according to claim 15, wherein said validating comprises determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in a sample containing mRNA from said subject; evaluating the LPL/ADAM29 gene expression ratio; and classifying the IgVH gene as: mutated if the LPL/ADAM29 ratio is less than one, or unmutated if the LPL/ADAM29 ratio is greater than or equal to one 17: The method according to claim 16, further comprising, prior to said determining, obtaining a specimen from said subject, wherein said specimen contains mRNA. 18: The method according to claim 17, wherein said specimen contains at least one biological material selected from the group consisting of peripheral mononuclear blood cells, a tissue containing B cells, and extracted B cells. 19: The method according to claim 16, wherein said classifying is confirmed by a method comprising determining the percentage of CD3+CD56+ cells present in a specimen obtained from said subject that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression; and classifying the IgVH gene sequence as: mutated if the percentage of CD19+CD3−CD56-cells present in said specimen that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression is less than 20%, or unmutated if the percentage of CD19+CD3−CD56-cells present in said specimen that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression is greater than or equal to 20%. 20: A method of classifying IgVH mutational status of a subject having chronic lymphocytic leukemia, comprising obtaining a sample containing mRNA from said subject; performing a competitive multiplex PCR assay in the presence of PCR primers for LPL and ADAM29, wherein said PCR primers are selected such that the size differences between the bands corresponding to LPL and ADAM29 are resolvable by electrophoresis, separating the PCR amplification product; and classifying the IgVH mutational status by determining the relative intensities of the bands corresponding to LPL and ADAM29, wherein when the intensity of the band corresponding to LPL is greater than the intensity of the band corresponding to ADAM29 or when there is only a single band corresponding to LPL then the IgVH mutational status is classified as being unmutated; and when the intensity of the band corresponding to LPL is less than the intensity of the band corresponding to ADAM29 or when there is only a single band corresponding to ADAM29 then the IgVH mutational status is classified as being mutated. 21: The method according to claim 20, wherein said sample contains at least one biological material selected from the group consisting of peripheral mononuclear blood cells, a tissue containing B cells, extracted B cells, and pre-extracted mRNA. 22: The method according to claim 20, wherein when the intensity of the band at 410 bp and the band at 445 bp are both present, said method further comprises validating the IgVH mutational status. 23: The method according to claim 22, wherein said validating comprises determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in a sample containing mRNA from said subject; evaluating the LPL/ADAM29 gene expression ratio; and classifying the IgVH gene as: mutated if the LPL/ADAM29 ratio is less than one, or unmutated if the LPL/ADAM29 ratio is greater than or equal to one 24: The method according to claim 23, further comprising, prior to said determining, obtaining a specimen from said subject, wherein said specimen contains mRNA. 25: The method according to claim 24, wherein said specimen contains at least one biological material selected from the group consisting of peripheral mononuclear blood cells, a tissue containing B cells, and extracted B cells. 26: The method according to claim 23, wherein said classifying is confirmed by a method comprising determining the percentage of CD3+CD56+ cells present in a specimen obtained from said subject that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression; and classifying the IgVH gene sequence as: mutated if the percentage of CD19+CD3−CD56-cells present in said specimen that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression is less than 20%, or unmutated if the percentage of CD19+CD3−CD56-cells present in said specimen that are positive for ZAP-70 intracellular expression is greater than or equal to 20%. 27-28. (canceled) 29: A method of identifying a subject suspected of having a lymphocytic leukemia in a subject in need thereof, comprising: determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in a sample obtained from said subject; and comparing said expression to a standard expression level of said genes in a normal subject. 30: A method according to claim 29, wherein said gene expression level is determined by measuring mRNA, cDNA or protein expression level. 31: A method according to claim 29, wherein the lymphocytic leukemia is a chronic lymphocytic leukemia. 32: A kit for detecting lymphocytic leukemia in a subject suspected of having the same, comprising (a) primers that hybridize with the LPL gene, (b) primers that hybridize with the ADAM29 gene, (c) and at least one housekeeping gene. 33: The kit according to claim 32, wherein said components are individually packaged. 34: The kit according to claim 32, further comprising at least one component selected from the group consisting of primers specific for the housekeeping gene and reagents for amplification. 35: The kit according to claim 32, further comprising instructions for using of the components contained in the kit. 36: A method for determining whether a subject has an aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia or an indolent form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia comprising: obtaining a specimen from said subject; determining the gene expression levels of LPL and ADAM29 in said specimen; designating the subject as having a significant probability of having: an aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia if the LPL gene is over-expressed and the ADAM29 gene is under-expressed; or an indolent form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia if the LPL gene is under-expressed and the ADAM29 gene is over-expressed, wherein over- and under-expression are measured by comparison with the expression level of the corresponding genes in a normal subject. 37: A method for determining whether a subject has an aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia or an indolent form of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia comprising: obtaining a specimen from said subject; determining the gene expression levels of the LPL and ADAM29 genes in said specimen; determining the LPL/ADAM29 gene expression ratio; designating the subject as having a significant probability of having: an aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia if the LPL gene is over-expressed; or an indolent form of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia if the ADAM29 ratio is over-expressed. 38: The method of claim 36, wherein over-expression of ADAM29 and/or LPL is determined by comparison to expression of GAPDH, wherein LPL is over-expressed when a ratio of LPL/GADPH>1.0 and ADAM29 is over-expressed when a ratio of ADAM29/GADPH is >2.8. 39: The method according to claim 36, wherein said specimen contains at least one biological material selected from the group consisting of peripheral mononuclear blood cells, a tissue containing B cells, and B cells. 40: The method of claim 36, in which gene expression of the LPL and ADAM29 genes is determined by RT-PCR. 